Weapons of choice: previous criminal history, later criminal activity, and firearm preference among legally authorized young adult purchasers of handguns.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether there is an association between criminal activity and preference for a particular class of handgun among young adults who purchase handguns legally.


METHODS
Historical cohort study.


METHODS
Subjects were 5,360 authorized purchasers of handguns in California in 1988 who were 21 to 25 years of age, divided into two groups: all eligible purchasers with a previous criminal history (n = 2,765), and a random sample of purchasers with no such history (n = 2,595). Handguns were classified as small and inexpensive or larger and expensive. Associations were assessed by relative risks adjusted for gender and race or ethnicity.


RESULTS
Handgun purchasers with a previous criminal history were more likely than those without such a history to purchase a small, inexpensive handgun (relative risk (RR) = 1.28; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.16-1.42). Among handgun purchasers with no previous criminal history, those who purchased a small, inexpensive handgun were more likely than purchasers of other handguns to be charged with new crimes after handgun purchase (RR = 1.73; 95% CI, 1.34-2.24) and were nearly twice as likely to charged with new crimes involving firearms or violence (RR = 1.93; 95% CI, 1.38-2.69).


CONCLUSIONS
In this population, criminal activity both before and after handgun purchase was associated with a preference for small, inexpensive handguns.
Wintemute
G J
GJ
Violence Prevention Research Program, UC Davis Medical Center, University of California, Sacramento 95817, USA.
Parham
C A
CA
Wright
M A
MA
Beaumont
J J
JJ
Drake
C M
CM
D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D002755:Choice Behavior; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003417:Criminal Psychology; D005006:Ethnicity; D005389:Firearms / Q000145:classification / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D044469:Racial Groups; D012042:Registries; D012306:Risk; D017678:Sex Distribution